


The Song of the Prey

by Semi_problematic



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Attempted Murder, Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kidnapping, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Character of Color, Murder, Original Character Death(s), Original Fiction, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Unhealthy Relationships, Violence, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-18 16:03:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18253193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semi_problematic/pseuds/Semi_problematic
Summary: Months before college begins, Harloh and her small town suffer a tragedy, along with the rest of the United States. After weeks of random deaths blamed on animal attacks, videos of dead people rising and attacking the living are leaked. Slowly, the government begins to shut down, her loved ones begin to turn on each other, and some don't manage to come home. Harloh and her boyfriend Blake set out on a journey, trying to find anyone or anything to save them. Summer was nothing like she had planned. After struggling between choosing Stanford or her relationship, she now must choose between life and death. Running can only be an option for so long.Along the way, Harloh learns things about her family and herself that she never saw coming. She becomes stronger than she thought was ever possible and she meets people she would have never met if the world didn't collapse. Part of her even finds herself being thankful that the world ended, that she met the people she did.





	The Song of the Prey

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first 100% original story!! It's a lesbian romance and its a little slow burn. I have the entire thing already planned out chapter by chapter so it will just be a matter of cranking it out. The second chapter has already begun. Please comment and discuss how you feel about it, whether it be good or bad.

The scent of cotton candy filled the air, along with screams of excited but terrified people. Harloh clung to the sleeve of her boyfriend's hoodie, gripping it like she was going to be swept away into the crowd. She hated crowds. School let out that day, high schoolers and newly graduates swarmed the theme park, celebrating that they finally made it another year. School was never hard for her, but she was still thankful to be through with high school. Blake hated school, he dropped out his junior year and started working at his uncle's gas station. Still, he celebrated with Harloh, after all, her being out of school meant they could spend more time together. He really hated being away from her. 

"Do me a favor and remind me to never come here on a Friday night again," Blake teased, snaking his arm around her waist. "This was a terrible idea, way too many people." 

"Relax," Harloh hit her boyfriend's arm. "Its opening weekend and everyone got let out. Of course it will be crowded." She pulled away and looked around at all the people. Food lines were long and ride lines were even longer. "I like it. It's fun seeing all the people be happy." 

Blake rolled his eyes. "You're too perky." 

"And," She drug out the word. "You are too negative. Have a little fun. This was your idea." 

Blake sighed. "Yeah," He nodded. "Don't remind me." 

Blake and Harloh had known each other since they were in middle school. What started as best friends soon became more as their parents encouraged them to date. They begged her to give Blake a chance, they said he was perfect. By sophomore year they were together, which made everyone around them happy. Harloh never felt much for him, but she figured it would come sooner or later. She had always been told feelings change, anyway. Blake liked her since day one. He held her hand and kissed her and begged her to go to every school dance with him. Girls said Harloh should be thankful for how devoted Blake was. She was thankful, but he was a little extreme. 

Blake got jealous a lot. For a while he didn't want her around any of her guy friends. They would fight for days and days over it, but still nothing changed. He hated when she made plans without him and god forbid if she didn't tell him she had plans already. It took a few months but soon she was able to navigate their feelings. After all, he really did love her, that was why he did all of this. 

Still, Harloh found herself waiting on feeling something more. She cared for him and loved him to an extent, but the love she felt was not the same as in the movies and shows. Harloh stayed with him, though. He was her best friend, he had been there through everything. Giving him this chance to make him happy was the least she could do after everything he had done for her. 

"Do you want some candy?" He asked, digging through his pocket. "I'm done with all the rides for tonight."

That meant Harloh was, too. "Ice cream would be nice, but the lines are long. We could just get some on the way home."

Blake paused for a moment. "How about one more ride?" He smiled down at her. "I don't want the night to be over yet." 

"Romantic." 

He kissed her. "I know." 

Harloh never really liked roller coasters, but if she did, she liked the smaller ones. No jerking or loops. She liked the water rides and the rides that twirled. Blake liked the scary ones. The ones that went so fast the rider got whiplash. Harloh never understood an adrenaline high like Blake did. He was addicted. His favorite thing was to scare the shit out of himself. Guns, fast cars, roller coasters and more got him off. Harloh figured it was because he got to choose his fear in those situations. Blake never got to control his fear at home. Plus, in those situations he came out unscathed. 

"Can I pick?"

"Yeah, tonight is your night." 

That was a big deal. Blake liked having control. He picked everything. Where they ate and where their dates were and what movies they watched. He really was being nice tonight. Probably in an attempt to keep her home from college. 

Three months ago she got accepted into Stanford, which was far from their small town home. Blake screamed at her before ignoring her for five days. Harloh never told him that she applied, but she didn't think she would be accepted.

Since he found out, Blake had been extra nice. Giving up some of his control and letting her make the choices. They still fought, but Harloh started to ignore all the things he did that upset her. She wanted them to have a good time before she left. Good memories were better than bad, and bad seemed to be the only kind of memories they had for a while. Blake was easily upset and Harloh stood her ground. 

Her mom said that that's what love is like. Disagreements and anger and struggle. Harloh assumed she loved Blake. At least, everyone told her she did. Nonetheless, Blake was her best friend and she cared for him. It had always been the two of them. He stayed when no one else did. She didn't want to lose him. 

"I want to do the ride by the entrance, the one with the big drop." She rested her head on his shoulder and pressed close. "It has water-" 

"The Beaver Plunge?" Blake laughed. "You have to be kidding. That is such a kid ride."

"You said I get to pick and I want that ride." She dropped her hand down and intertwined their fingers. "And it's close to the front which means we can leave as soon as it is over." She frowned when he sighed. "Please! It will be over before you know it." 

"Mhm." Blake turned his head and kissed her cheek. "You're lucky I love you." He held her close and rested his chin on top of her head. "You're gonna get the inside of my car all wet-" 

"You love that thing more than you love me." 

"Hey!" Blake shook his head. "She is not a "thing", she is a car and I love her." 

Harloh scoffed, kicking a rock across the ground, holding back a laugh when it hit someone's ankles. "She is scrap metal. She hardly works." 

Blake's car had a history of never running properly, but that didn't stop him from keeping it. Weekend after weekend he would send the car to the shop and pay hundreds to fix it. Nothing ever worked. The car had been on it's last leg since Blake bought it. 

"You are just jealous." Blake smiled down at her. "You know... we could leave now and go out and have a little fun-" 

"I am not screwing you in a car that you call a "she", but nice try." Harloh kissed his lips to stop him from speaking any longer.

For months she had avoided doing anything like that with Blake. She loved him, but the idea of him touching her like that was terrifying. All of her friends were excited to have sex for the first time, but Harloh wouldn't mind never sleeping with a guy ever. It is possible to love someone and not want to sleep with them. That just isn't popular among teenagers. 

"You said you wanted to wait until graduation-" 

"And I graduated five hours ago. Why do you want to rush everything?" There was a fight coming. She could feel it. Why couldn't he just take the answer she gave? Poking and prodding wouldn't make her change her mind. Harloh took a deep breath. "Babe, look! There isn't much of a line." 

About ten people stood in line around the ride and most were children. Blake followed her lead to the line, hia grip loosening on her. He was angry, but not enough to fight. He had a bad streak of fighting in public. That wasn't uncommon. Her father screamed at anyone he could any chance he got. Her mother said that men were just like that. Harloh hated it. 

"I love you." Harloh whispered. She stood up on her toes and kissed him. She wasn't lying. She adored Blake, but not enough to compromise her own boundaries. Love didn't ask for those lines to ever be crossed. "I love you so much." 

Blake smiled and kissed her head. That always calmed him down. "I love you, baby. More than anyone else. We... we are good. We get each other." 

Blake was afraid of being alone. His parents were never the best and he struggled making friends. Harloh was the only one who really knew him. They were a package deal. Blake needed her, more than anyone and anything else. It was a good and bad thing. 

"We do." Harloh smiled. "It'll always be us. I won't leave." 

Blake cupped her cheeks. "But you are. Going to California and finding a smart Stanford boyfriend. You're leaving me behind." 

She sighed. "Can we have one good night? Please. I love you." She rested her hands on his chest. "I love you. I'm yours. A little distance won't hurt us." 

Blake moved away from her, shaking his head. "Whatever." 

The line inched along slowly. People rushed past the ride, running deeper into the park. Harloh frowned as her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket and sighed.

Another death. More and more people had been getting killed recently and they were all ruled out to be animal attacks. Except the bite marks never matched up with any set of animal teeth. She slipped her phone back into her pocket, sighing. 

"Another kill?" A girl with hot pink hair stood behind them. 

"Um... yeah." 

"That shit doesn't make sense." The girl shook her head. "That is the ninth one recorded today. And they are from all over the area." 

Blake rolled his eyes. "Calm down. It's just an animal." 

"Yeah... one that can travel all over the damn state in hours." The girl scoffed. "Why is everyone ignoring this? We can't figure out what is killing these people. It's scary."

Blake gripped Harloh's arm and jerked her out of line. He pulled her a few yards from where they were before letting go. "Pick another ride." 

"Blake-" 

"I don't wanna hear her complain about animal attacks that don't matter. Okay? We can stay until closing if that helps." Blake took her hands in his. "Any ride. I will even win you a stuffed animal. I just... that shit is negative." 

Harloh nodded. "Yeah... okay. We can just go get some ice cream and then ride a few rides." She squeezed his hands and smiled up at him. "How does the ferris wheel sound?" 

The park only grew more crowded and while the lines were painfully long, Harloh loved how happy everyone was. Blake wasn't as happy, in fact he looked miserable, but Harloh was able to keep him in a decent mood. They rode a few rides, but only two were scary. She let Blake pick a few, it was only fair. Blake won her a teddy bear, too. It was bright blue and as long as her torso. She clutched it like it kept her afloat. The food was greasy, so Harloh passed on food when Blake waited in line to get a burger and fries. 

"That is gonna ruin your insides." Harloh pointed out as they walked towards the train. 

The park had a train that drove around the entire area while a worker stood aboard and told the passengers facts about each part of the park and the rides in it. That was Harloh's favorite thing to do there. Part of her was happy Blake wanted to stay later. The train ride was only good if the sun went down and the parks lights were all glowing. 

"But it'll taste good while it does." Blake nudged her and smiled before taking a bite out of a hamburger that dripped in grease. Times like this was when all the fighting felt like it was worth it. When they were both happy and together. Halroh figured that that's what love really was. Always ending up together. In the end it will be the two of them. No matter what. 

Harloh shook her head and reached over, taking a few fries from his little foam tray. "Whatever." 

Blake looked up at the train ride line. "You better not eat all my fries after you shamed me for getting them." 

"What? I'm hungry." 

"On the way out we can get that ice cream." He leaned down to kiss her head but Harloh stopped him. 

"Don't get grease on me!" 

By a little after nine o'clock they boarded the train. Harloh climbed over Blake in order to get the window seat, although it wasn't much of a window. Rows of wooden benches lined each side of the train and rope was tied around the outside to keep people inside. Still, Harloh wanted the seat closest to the edge. She pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail while Blake gave the workers their tickets. Children piled on the bench in front of them with their mother and behind them a few teenage girls sat. The girls were struggling to get a photo where all of them were squeezed together, but it wasn't working. 

A soft tap startled Harloh as she sat in her row. "Could you please take a photo of all of us?" 

She twisted around and smiled at the girls. They were easily sophomores, maybe juniors. They were young. "Yeah, of course." She lifted her legs up on the bench and took the middle girls phone. "Okay, one, two, thr-" 

In her hand, the phone began to buzz. A notification covered the screen. It was from the same news station that the one before was. Their county station. Two more people found dead. Mauled to death by the same stray animal before. Now, the body count for the day in their town was eleven. There was no way of knowing if there were even more. Only a few had been recorded and that was because their bodies were in plain sight. In their front yards or in parks. Woods surrounded their town, people could be in there. 

Their town wasn't small, but it was nowhere close to the towns that surrounded the city. They had a mall and a theme park that was thirty minutes away in another small town like their own. The towns that littered the highway heading into the city were forgotten. In the city there were better malls and theme parks, so not even those people came up. 

"Another body?" The girl on the left asked. She twirled her hair nervously. 

The girl in the middle sighed and covered her face. "What the hell is going on around here?" 

Across from them, a man began to speak. "It isn't just here. It's all over the United States. Bodies appearing mauled but no suspects, human or animal." His little girl sat in his lap, too young to understand what her father is saying. "If it's human, it has to be a group." 

The girl on the right clutched her heart. "Satanists!" 

"Doubt it." Middle girl said. "Probably some weird outbreak of disease for wolves or something." 

"Last time I checked, in this area alone a hundred and nineteen people were found dead because of this." His face was serious. "Today. It's worse in the cities. Body counts are adding up fast down towards the main city." They lived in a small town an hour from the city. "Does that sound like wolves?" 

One hundred and nineteen people was almost one tenth of the population in their town. Whatever was going on, it was growing and it was growing fast. The small towns outside the city weren't even safe. Harloh couldn't imagine how many people were dying in the city.

"Okay!" A loud voice shouted. "Everyone sit down and keep all arms and legs behind the ropes. We will beginning shortly. And we do not want to wait." The worker was less than cheerful. 

Harloh handed the phone back to the girl and turned around, smiling up at Blake as he walked towards her. "What took so long?" 

"He used to work at my dad's for a while." Blake sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Everything alright? You look a little pale." 

"Another body. There have been a lot-" 

"Don't freak yourself out. People die all the damn time." 

Harloh nodded. He was right, people did die all the time, but it was never like this. 

Blake kissed her temple. "Baby, they just want to scare you." 

It was working. "I know. It's just sad. All these people died... some in their own homes. Home is supposed to be safe, Blake-"

"I am your home." Blake gave her a small squeeze. "You are safe." 

Harloh curled up against his side and prayed that he was right. 

The world was lit up around them as the train began its course. Roller coasters zoomed past them, the screams of the riders following close behind. The smell of food floated past them as they drove past the funnel cake stand and the place where Blake bought his greasy burger and delicious fries. Blake sat still while Harloh stared at the twinkling lights. Each ride lit up in vibrant colors as the sun went down. That was why coming to the park late at night was so fun. Everything glowed and it up beautifully. 

Still, Harloh was on edge. As the train rolled along her nerves went up. The man was right. The deaths weren't animal attacks. Something else was going on and someone knew what it was. Blake always mocked her for saying the government was hiding things, but she was sure of it. Their job was to protect society and the people that made it up. If hiding something kept those two things protected, the government would happily comply. Why were so many people dying? 

Blake kissed her neck. "Babe, relax." His fingers rubbed against her shoulder. "You're tense. This normally makes you happy."

"It is." Harloh was only half lying. "I just can't stop thinking about it. This stuff is insane. These are peoples family. It could be our family." 

Blake sighed. He was obviously annoyed. Harloh couldn't believe they he didn't care. "Harloh, we are fine. I got a gun in my car-" 

"I'm not scared of that. I'm scared of not knowing what the hell is going on." She covered her face with her hand and sighed. "Whatever. Forget it." Fighting wasn't worth it, especially with all the people dying around them. With the way these deaths were going, Harloh and Blake could be just two more of them if they weren't careful. She didn't want to die unhappy or away from Blake. He was still her best friend. She never loved anyone the way she loved Blake. He was her other half. 

"Come on." Blake kissed her cheek. "I just don't want to talk about all the bad when I have all the good right here." He scooped her up into his lap and kissed her. "Smile." 

Harloh blushed and smiled. It was hard not to smile when he was sweet. This was the Blake she loved. The gentle one. She cupped his cheeks and rubbed her thumbs against them. "You're missing the view." She looked at the lights surrounding them. 

"No, I'm not." Blake wrapped his arms around her waist. "The view is right here." 

Harloh leaned down and kissed him. "That's pretty romantic for you." 

"What can I say?" His eyes twinkled like the lights around them. "You have changed me for the better." 

The train ride ended all too soon. Harloh was still curled up against Blake's chest and she didn't want to move. Reluctantly, she climbed out of his lap and stepped off of the train. Pushing through the crowd took some time, but soon they were back on the main path that lead back to the front gates. Blake and Harloh walked hand in hand past many rides. Still, the lines were long and the rides showed no sign of stopping. In her other hand,m Harloh clutched the blue teddy bear, her chin pressed against the top of it's head. 

"One more ride?" She asked hopefully as they neared the exit. 

"Yes," Blake began. "But not the Beaver Plunge." 

"Um, yes the Beaver Plunge. You pulled me out of the line last time. This is the only ride I want." She was all but whining as she began to drag Blake towards the line. "I can go alone. Just promise you won't drive off without me. Please!" 

Blake picked her up and spun her around. "You are so lucky I love you." He set her down and pecked her lips. "You can go. I promise I won't drive off without you." 

Harloh stood in line, her eyes trained on the blank screen of her phone. Part of her wanted it to buzz again and tell her what is going on, but it didn't. Instead her phone lit up with several different texts and comments about her graduating. For as happy of a time it was, all she felt was sadness and fear. It tied her stomach in knots. Blake stood off to the side, sitting on a bench while he scrolled through his phone. Maybe he was scared too, he just didn't want to show it. 

When her phone did buzz, it wasn't another notification that carried a death toll. It was her sister Eleanor. 

"Hey." Harloh whispered as she pressed the phone to her ear. "What's up?" 

"What do you mean "what's up", you graduated today." 

"The ceremony isn't until Sunday."

"And I am driving up tomorrow. I'm already packed." She took a deep breath. "And I am so proud of you. You're going to Stanford!" 

"Nellie," Harloh laughed. "Save the excitement for graduation day. Okay?' 

"I'm leaving at noon tomorr-" 

"Attention all park guests." A loud voice boomed throughout the park. "The park will be closing early in order to comply with the police department's orders. The gates will close at 10:30 but the rides, games and concessions will close now. Please make your way to the closest exist." 

"Loh?" Her sister asked. "You there?" 

"I'll call you back later." Harloh hung up before she could reply.

She pushed past the angry people as they muttered about how unbelievable it was. The night the park opens it closes an hour and a half early. She took Blake's hand and started towards the exit without a word. This had to do with the deaths. The police and government did know what was going on. Keeping the people in the dark wasn't protecting them, though. If anything, the lack of knowledge created fear and fear was more dangerous than any disease. 

The crowd walking out was scary. People walked body to body, clutching their family members. Some yelled while others walked in stunned silence. Even workers followed them out, bags in hand. 

"The police must be shutting this place down tonight." Blake said, seemingly reading her mind. "Probably gonna scan the area, too. Make sure no assholes tried to hide and stay the night." 

Harloh gripped his hand, ignoring the sweat that filled their palms. She was scared. She needed him. Harloh pressed her body against his, hiding her face in his shoulder. "I hate this." She whispered. 

"You're okay." Blake whispered, kissing the top of her head. "You're okay." 

Being inside the car felt safe. Metal and glass shield them from the outside world. Inside the car it was just tem. No death or fear or uncertainty. They had something protecting them. Harloh felt like she could breathe once they closed and locked the doors. Cars rushed past them only to be stopped outside of the gates. The lines leading to the street were long in no time. Blake and Harloh were going to be waiting for a while.

"I'm going to call Nellie back and see what is going on down there." Harloh muttered, pulling out her phone and unlocking it. The three rings after she dialed were the most unnerving sounds she heard all day. 

"Are you okay?" 

"Fine. The park just closed down early and we had to go, they said the police department ordered it." Harloh took a deep breath. "The deaths-" 

"There have been tons here, but everyone is heading home. I have finals still." Nellie took a deep breath. Harloh could hear it. "We got put on a curfew and we got more cops, but nothing changed. People are still dying." 

"Why?" It was a dumb question. No one knew why. That was the problem. Harloh found herself playing with her ponytail nervously. 

"I don't know. They say animal attacks, but why are animals all over the world doing it. Why are hundreds of thousands of people dying all over?"

"Just..." Harloh took a deep breath. "Please come as fast as you can. Something is going on. I want you with the family, not all the way down in Missouri." 

"I will come as soon as I can. I love you." Harloh could hear Nellie kiss the phone. "Call me when you get home. Be safe. Okay? I love you." 

Harloh nodded. "I love you." She hung up and sunk back against the seat. "This is fucking insane."

"I know." Blake looked in all of his mirrors, sighing. "There's too many damn people for them to be pulling shit like this. We can't all leave at once. Idiots." He gripped the wheel tight. 

"I guess we are stuck waiting them out." Harloh rolled her window down before rolling it back up. "This..." She closed her eyes. "I want to know what is going on." She wasn't very sure of that. Maybe the truth was scarier than being kept in the dark. That was her choice to make, though, not the governments. 

"I just want to get the hell out of here and get home. My brothers need me my mom... she can't take care of them." Blake shook his head. "My dad is no use either. They need me."

Harloh took his hand and smiled. "We will be okay. They are sending us home for safety." She pulled away and turned the radio on. "Let's listen to some music." 

The music filled a void that they both felt. The engine running and the honking only put them on edge. With music, there were other voices and sounds to distract them. For a few moments they could breathe with ease and not worry about what they were about to drive through. 

Harloh wasn't sure if they were being sent home for safety or if they were being sent into a trap. The police that stepped between the cars said nothing, they only directed people towards the smaller exits that lead to back roads and the town they were close to. Blake said those roads were more dangerous. The highway was better. A higher speed limit and an almost straight shot home. 

Harloh crossed her arms over her chest, crossing her legs. "How long have we been waiting?" 

The clock read 10:24. Twenty minutes. She sighed and reached out, changing radio stations. She leaned back against the seat and played with Blake's hand, humming. Blake kissed her hand and smiled at her. The space between them was small and calm.

"Good evening," The radio host began. "The county would like me to state the following. All people need to be home and safe by eight o'clock at night starting tomorrow. If this curfew is broken you will spend the night in jail and be fined. The only exceptions are government personnel like firefighters and police officers. All night shifts have been closed at this moment. No one will be docked and you will receive paid leave." He took a deep breath. "We are sorry for any trouble, but this curfew will keep not only you safe, but the people around you. Thank you."

Blake jumped as an officer tapped on his window and signaled for him to pull out of his parking space. He did as directed, driving over the gravel. His face was pale. Harloh knew hers matched. The police officers they passed all wore the same blank expression. No panic or fear showed on their face. Harloh hoped they were protecting them and not using them as bait. 

"I'm scared." Harloh whispered once they pulled onto the highway, the park in the rearview mirror. 

Blake was silent. He swallowed and nodded. "Me too." 

The seriousness of the matter was finally catching up to him. People were no longer being paranoid. The bodies weren't just people dying. The park wasn't an inconvenient closing. Something was going on around them and no one knew what to do. 

Only a few cars were on the road with them. All people from the theme park. Not even semi's were on the road. They probably got told to pull off at a certain time. Police cars sat on the edge of the road every few miles, lights flashing. Tow trucks were with them. Harloh assumed they were waiting for an accident or a breakdown so they could send the people home faster. What went on while they were inside? 

"I'm going to call my mom and see if there was an emergency alert we missed or something." She was already unlocking her phone and typing in her mother's phone number. "Maybe a nation wide warning. I don't know. Something had to have happened." 

Blake was silent.

One ring. 

Two rings.

"Are you safe?" Harloh could hear how worried her mother was. "Honey, please tell me you are on the way home and safe."

"I am." Hearing her mother's voice was comforting. "Blake and I are on our way to you right now. They closed the park down early. And there is a curfew no-"

"Yes!" Her mother almost shouted. "I have been watching the news all night. There is a new curfew set in this time zone along with others. Since the sun sets around eight they want everyone home by then."

The reasoning made no sense. "Why?" 

"Who knows? No one." Her mother sighed. "No one knows what is going on but if a curfew will help then we are gonna follow it."

That was the problem. No one knew what was going on which meant no one knew what would help. "Was there an emergency alert while we were gone? There is police everywhere."

"Not much of an alert, more of a warning. Said people were dying rapidly and they have yet to catch who or what-" Harloh shivered. "could be doing it. Said to stay safe and all that. Don't go out unless needed. Go to the store, blah, blah, blah." 

"Mom, it's serious." Harloh sighed. "This is important. We can't ignore those warnings-"

"We will be fine. You are coming home and Blake is too. He is staying with us until this whole warning gets lifted." 

"Is dad home?"

"Yeah." Her mother paused. "How about you hang up and we can all talk about this once you get home? I love you." She hung up before Harloh could reply.

She felt like she was going crazy. No one else was worrying. Blake was just now realizing how big of an issue it was. Harloh slipped her phone into her pocket and looked out the window. The radio was turned off, Blake did it while they were driving out. He needed time to let everything sink in. What were they hiding from? Why was everyone calm? The government had never done something like this before. Reporters on the news had to be questioning it. Just because they sent out a warning and not an alert doesn't make the things going on around them any less deadly. 

"My mom says you are going to stay with us until the warning is lifted." Harloh whispered, her hands in her lap. "Your parents probably told them to keep you-" 

"Because I went out." Blake mumbled. "And they wanted me to stay home and babysit, but I wouldn't." If anyone had raised Blake's little brothers, it was Blake. Neither of his parents were ever around and when they were it was a mess constant arguing and yelling. In the past, the fights had even turned physical. Harloh knew Blake only stayed with them for one reason. His brothers. "I hope-" 

"They'll be okay." Harloh kissed his knuckles. "They always are." She hoped she was right. She couldn't afford to be wrong. 

When the sign that read "WELCOME TO RED CLOUD" Harloh felt a wave of relief wash over her. Finally, they were off of the highway and so close to home. The roads were empty, but that was never unusual. With their population barely hitting 1,000 people, most teenagers were at someone's house and adults were at home in bed. That is unless they worked out of town and had to leave. Red Cloud had the ability of looking like a ghost town without even trying. Harloh was glad no one was out. It meant they were all safe and at home. Maybe the chaos wasn't spreading like the police thought it was. Then again, Harloh didn't know much about what was going on. All she knew was that people were dying rapidly and there was no sign of it stopping. 

Dim lights barely gave the road any light and neither did Blake's headlights. He really needed to get rid of his car. Harloh was splayed a part in it. Blake's dad owned a tow truck company, but he never wanted to help Blake with his car. He believed Blake was old enough to live without his help. Maybe that's why Blake was so needy and controlling. He needed one person to stay no matter what. Harloh was that person for him, and for the most part she was okay with it. 

"Do you think that your dad is out helping tow the cars?" Harloh asked. She didn't care and the attempt at making conversation was pathetic, but she was desperate to fill the silence. Sound helped drown out the thoughts in her head. 

"I don't know. I just hope my mom is home with them. I can't have them-" He took a deep breath and shook his head. "I need for them to be okay. They are all I got-" He looked over at Harloh. "Them and you." 

The street her house was on was nearly pitch black. The tunnel of light the headlights created was eerie and unnerving. Harloh found herself gripping Blake's hand so tight it must have been hurting him. If it was, Blake didn't say anything. Inside her house, the lights were on but the curtains were closed. As the car rolled to a stop, Harloh took a deep breath and unbuckled her seat belt. Without saying a word she got out of the car and made her way up the lawn. Blake shut off the car and climbed out, following her silently. Harloh found herself rushing towards the front door, but she didn't know why. Possibly, it was just nerves. 

"Harloh!" Her mother ran out and hugged her. For seeming so calm on the phone, it looked like her mother had been panicked. She kissed Harloh's head and smiled. "I am so glad you made it home safe. I have been watching the news non-stop. There haven't been any updates so I think we are okay." Those were famous last words. "But get inside, both of you. I'm more scared of the people, not that thing that's killing them." 

Inside the house was cool, but Harloh was already shivering. She had been cold in the car, too, despite the lack of air conditioning. She wrapped her arms around herself and made her way towards the living room. Her father was leaning back in his recliner, a burger in hand. Blake and him had the same bad eating habits. 

Her father looked up and smiled. "Harley." Her father always called her that. When she was younger and they were low on money they sold his Harley Davidson motorcycle. Her mom always said that was his prized possession, but then Harloh came along. After that, Harloh became Harley. "Blake, good to see you." 

Blake gave a small wave. "Hi, sir." 

"We have the guest room set up. It's across the hall from our room." 

They had two guest rooms. One was small and in between the other bedrooms and one was in the basement. The room in the basement wasn't very nice considering a few quilts counted as the wall and door. They chose the upstairs one for two reasons. One, the room was right across the hall from them which meant they would hear everything. Two, they were all safer in a group. 

"Yeah. Right across." Her dad said then raised his eyebrows. "So... be careful, don't try anything. We can hear all of it. And I have guns. Lots of them." Her father was an ex police officer. 

"Dad." Harloh sighed. "We aren't doing anything." She wanted to keep it that way. "And that isn't even what's important right now. Have you heard anything from the news?" She sat down next to her mother on the couch. 

"Nothing. Bunch of crazies killing all these people." Her mother sighed and pulled her close. "I don't understand." 

"Well..." Her father rubbed his face with one hand. "If what is doing this is human, it has to be a massive group. Over a hundred deaths in an area this spread out? It doesn't even seem possible." He sighed and took a sip of beer. "They would be caught by now too. It's been weeks of this animal attack bull and everything is getting worse. Body counts are rising. One of them has messed up-" He stopped and swallowed. "If this is human, of course." 

Her mother nodded worriedly. "Must be a cult. Maybe those Scientology people." 

"This can't be people. They move too fast. Someone would have seen something." Harloh was nearly yelling. She needed someone to take this serious. "Stuff is being hidden, I can feel it. They only said animal attacks. Since when is the same unidentified animal in every town in the United States. Since when is the same animal covering every damn place on the globe!" Her hands were balled into fists and at her sides. 

"Sweetheart," Her father whispered. "Calm down. I will keep you safe. All of you. But for now we need to sit and wait. The government knows what it's doing." 

Her father couldn't be more wrong. If they knew what they were doing something would have changed by now. After three weeks of mysterious deaths and the numbers only rising, nothing had changed. Other than the curfew. The curfew didn't stop the problem. It only allowed people to hide. 

"Fine." Harloh muttered, crossing her arms. 

"Have you eaten dinner?" Her mother asked. "We had some fried chicken and macaroni and cheese. There is some left if you or Blake want it." Her mother smiled at Blake and rubbed her arms. "Not eating won't change anything, Loh."

"We can go in there and eat. Wind down some." Blake smiled at her. His offer was supposed to sound good, but it didn't. She was just going to be with another person who didn't give a shit about what was going on. 

She took a deep breath. "Fine." 

Despite the offer, eating was not comforting. They sat in silence, Blake and Harloh both picking at their food. Being casual and calm elt impossible. People were dropping dead and they didn't know why, but someone did. That was where the problem started. People would grow afraid soon and start to panic. Humans become animals when their fight or flight instinct is triggered. When worse comes to worse humans will almost always pick fight, because not only do they want to survive, but they need to. 

"We should go to the store tomorrow. Get supplies." Harloh called into the living room, dragging her fork through the macaroni and cheese. 

"No one is leaving this house until the warning is lifted. It is better to be safe than sorry." Her mother spoke in a tone that sounded much like scolding. "The police know what is best, okay?"

"Yeah," Her father agreed. "The warning will be lifted in a few days, The curfew shows that they know what they are dealing with and need the people to stay out of the way. Soon this will all be over. They just need to fix the problem. Trust me." 

Harloh sighed and set her fork down. She rubbed her face and stood up, shaking her head. "This is so fucking stupid." 

Blake stared at her. "I know this is scary and frustrating, but staying here... being hidden is what's best. When we are in here, nothing can hurt us." He stood up and walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her. Blake rested his chin on top of her head and sighed. "Please... listen to them." 

Harloh nodded despite how frustrated she was. "No one else seems to care. That's all. Everyone is just so fucking calm. People are dying, we could be dyin-" 

"Honey!" Her mother called. "The news is back on with more information. It's the same reporter as before. Come sit with us. They might know more." 

"Good evening," The woman spoke. Her face was covered in makeup, bright red lips and light orange eyeshadow. Her brown hair was pulled back in a bun, not one hair standing out. She looked calm. "Thank you for tuning in with us during this hectic time. Currently, it is 11:49 at night and at the moment the police and other government officials are working to make sure everyone is at home and safe. Information on what is going on has yet to be released, but police assure us that they are taking precautions in order to protect the public." 

"That tells us nothing." Harloh whispered, sitting down next to her mother. Blake squeezed in beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She fought the urge to shove him away. Now wasn't the time to hold her, to baby her. "Just the same stuff they have been saying." 

"Please tune in with us," The woman began. "Tomorrow morning when hopefully we will have more information. Be safe out there. Thank you and goodnight." 

"Why am I staying if they think it's safe?" Blake asked. "They haven't mentioned any more deaths or what is doing it. 

"You are staying because the police doesn't want anyone out after dark. Understood?" The look her father gave him was unnerving. He didn't wait for Blake to reply. "I think it's time for bed." He stood up and set his beer down on the table.

"No. We can stay up." Her mother put a hand over her fathers. "They can sleep if they want, but I want to keep watching the news. An update could happen at any time. This is too big to ignore and sleep on." 

At least one person was realizing how massive the problem and the fear was. Still, Harloh was annoyed. 

"I have to call Nellie. She wanted me to get home and call her." Harloh pulled her phone out and stood up, walking towards her own room. Without another word she walked inside and closed the door behind her. She dialed her sisters number before holding it close to her ear and beginning to pace. Nervously, she chewed at her lip as the phone began to ring. 

"I was so worried." She could hear Nellie's sigh of relief. "You got home safe, right?" 

"Yes." Harloh sat down on the edge of her bed and looked up at the flag on her wall. Her parents bought it when they got the acceptance letter from Stanford. "Any news down there?"

"No. Just saying to trust the government. That they will contain the problem then fix it." 

"Do you believe that?" 

Nellie didn't hesitate. "No. If they knew what was going on and how to fix it they would tell us. I don't think they even know what is going on."

"That makes two of us." Harloh looked down at her lap. "I don't want people to keep dying. They don't deserve it." 

"You are so sweet, Loh. The world is too bad for you." 

Harloh shrugged. "I just can't imagine how all of these people feel, they are losing their families and friends. And no one knows why. Or how." 

"It's sad. I Just... I'm going to come down tomorrow still. Drive nonstop and hope no police stop me." Nellie paused, then began to speak again. "Nothing is going to stop me from getting to you. No law or stupid curfew." 

Harloh smiled. Before her sister left for college they were best friends. Even when they were younger they adored each other. "I love you. I think I'm going to go to bed. This day is stressing me out." 

Nellie laughed. "I don't blame you. I love you. Be safe." 

Harloh hung up and tossed her phone on the bed. She stood up and walked towards her closet. She pulled her shirt off before tugging her jean shorts off. She unclasped her bra and let it fall down her shoulders before pulling it completely off and adding it to the pile of dirty laundry on her floor. Harloh pulled out a big t-shirt and a pair of shorts, pulling both of them on before laying down on her bed. 

Part of her wanted to get on her phone and scroll through several different apps, but she decided against it. The idea of seeing more dead bodies and hearing the horror stories from witnesses or the families was too much. Instead she decided to crawl beneath the covers and sleep. The day had been long and tiring. She needed to rest. Within minutes she was asleep, curled up around her pillow. 

Harloh awoke to screaming. Her phone read 2:03 in the morning. It looked like the only person who had gone to bed was her. 

"Harloh!" Blake screamed. "Get out here! There's breaking news!" 

Harloh scrambled out of bed and rushed towards the living room. There sat both of her parents and Blake, staring wide eyed at the glowing television. 

On the T.V. a man's voice spoke. "This is leaked police dashcam footage of some of the so called "attacks" and deaths that have been reported. Several dashcam videos have been leaked across the nation. I will show you a few."

"Damn kids must be hacking the database in police stations." Her father sipped at his beer. Of course he was drunk. 

"That's what they get for keeping people in the dark." Harloh whispered to herself. 

The video began to play and as curious Harloh was, she felt sick with anxiety at the thought of watching people die. The video showed a police car rolling to a stop in front of two people in the road. One person was laying on the ground while the other person hunched over them. 

"Hands up!" The officer had screamed. "Do not make me shoot you!" 

The hunched over person straightened up and looked at the officer. Their face was covered in blood and their eyes were sunken into their skulls. Slowly, the person stood up. Staggering as it walked towards the officer. It rushed at him growling low in the back of its throat. 

The cop froze before grabbing his radio. "We got a moving DOA." He raised his gun in front of him and fired. Once. Twice. Three times. The body did not stop moving. 

"Dead on arrival?" Her father questioned. "That person ain't dead. Dead people don't walk." 

"There seems to be a victim," The cop continued. "Bitten and also DOA." 

There was silence as the cop backed away and climbed into his car. The person rushed at him and pounded on the windows. A dead person was moving and they were moving fast. The thing clawed at the glass. It was no longer a person. 

"Is it the kind the CDC was talking about? What do they call them-" 

The police seemed to be confused, too. Only doing what they were told. 

"BTB," The cop replied. "Barely there bodies. Said only a small part of the brain worked. What do I do?" 

"I'll call Containment." The person on the radio spoke. "Get it out of public eye, though. You know what chief said." 

"Get those damn Trappers down here and do it fast. This ain't my job. I protect the living... not this." 

The video ended. 

The room was silent as the news reporter came back. 

"There is no confirmation as to what that was, but it came from a town in Texas. We do not know much about what that creature was, but it is dangerous and moves fast. With given context it is easy to assume that those people... no, those things are responsible for all the growing deaths." The man explained. "The CDC was ,mentioned along with an unknown company called Containment and workers called Trappers. Notice how the officer did not attempt to kill the creature. They described the creature as DOA and moving. DOA means dead on arrival which gives us reason to believe that the thing was... undead." 

"Undread?!" Her mother gasped and covered her mouth. 

"This has to be a joke." Blake whispered. "Zombies? You have gotta be kidding me." 

Harloh shook her head. "These aren't zombies." Her eyes were glued to the screen. "Zombies aren't real. This is." 

"Thi-"

"Look," Her dads voice cut her mother off. "Whatever is going on, zombies or animal attacks, they have it under control. The CDC is aware and they have a group working to contain and fix the problem." 

Blake nodded in agreement. "We don't even know if this shit is true. This could be some kind of practical joke." 

How was everyone calming down so fast? They had to be in shock. What was going on was far from normal. This was not a killing spree or a outbreak of a flu the world had seen before. Whatever was going on was unknown territory. They needed to be afraid. 

"These aren't animals!" She shouted. "Dad, these are people!" 

Harloh looked back up at the T.V. in time to watch the ending of another dashcam clip. A creature charged at the officer and the officer began to shoot over and over, but none of the bullets stopped it, only slowed it down. The officer was screaming and radioing for back up, but the creature caught up to him and began to bite and claw at him. When blood began to pour out of the officer, the video ended. 

Harloh curled up on the couch with Blake and her mother, hiding under a quilt they had laid out across their legs. The room was silent as more and more dashcam and body cam clips played. Several different states had been hacked and countless officers killed. Each officer that lived radioed in the sighting and talked about the Containment and Trappers. The dates at the bottom of each video ranged from a month ago to only hours earlier in the day. As much as Harloh wanted to believe that this was all an elaborate prank, she knew it wasn't. These videos weren't jokes. The world had been changing and no one knew. The world had been changing and they had kept it hidden. 

"We are working tirelessly to try and find more information out for you guys so please stay tuned and we will update you as soon as possible." The reporter walked off screen and was replaced by a weatherman who had gone pale and tense. 

"I think we should all call it a night and get some rest." Her mother spoke softly. "Just... we need to get some sleep. Today has been tiring and scary." She stood up and guided Harloh to her feet. She wrapped her arms around her and held her close. "Sleep good. Tell me if you need anything. Okay?" 

Harloh nodded. She had no intentions of seeking help from any of them. They were still in denial. They were weak. "Are you staying up? If you are, then I am too. The world is falling apart-" 

"Harloh." Her dad whispered. "The world will be just fine. Go to bed." 

Reluctantly, Harloh listened, walking silently to her room. Her head was bowed as she walked, her eyes trained on her feet. Her family and Blake had a way of making her feel crazy. When she got to her room, she closed her door and climbed into bed. Harloh picked up her phone and looked at the time. 3:59. She needed to rest, but her body did not feel tired. It felt sick. Harloh watched people die. Other people killed them. Mauled them like a hungry animal. Harloh tucked her hair behind her ears, swallowing the bile in her throat. Dead people were rising. She hunched over her bed and threw up, her hands gripping her sheets. She shoved the trash can away with her hand before wiping her mouth and leaning back against her bed. 

Tomorrow she would call her sister and beg for her to hurry, but for now she would sleep. Or at least try to. 

When Harloh woke up her stomach ached. She curled up, rolling over and closing her eyes. As much as she wanted to lie and say things felt normal, they didn't. Each time she closed her eyes she saw those things. The dead. Except, they did not look dead. They were pale, but not rotting. Which meant they must have died very recent. 

The government had to be tracking the dead. Listening to police radio and sending out Containment as much as they could. That was working, but now it wasn't. Not only had the deaths been exposed, but also the causes. The dead must be rising far to quick or whatever caused them to die and come back was spreading. Harloh's head already ached from the thoughts.

She climbed out of bed and pulled her hair back into a bun. She didn't bother changing clothes despite Blake being there. He was the last thing on her mind. When she stepped out of her room, her parents were on the couch in the living room. The room Blake was staying in was still shut, which meant he had to be sleeping. What Harloh had got last night was far from sleep. 

"Good morning, baby." Her mother whispered. Her hair was pulled back but her glasses hung low on her nose. "How did you sleep?" 

Harloh shrugged in reply. "Did either of you sleep?" 

"I did but your father didn't. Not many people were awake last night so they are talking about the leaked footage and deaths again." Her mother pulled her against her body. "He wanted to see if anything changed. Nothing has." 

"But the ten o'clock news is about to start and everyone watches that." Her dad sipped coffee this morning instead of beer. "All hell will break loose once everyone knows. If you think people are panicked now, just wait... " 

"Panicked?" 

"People are locking down campuses and big cities. They say it is only for a moment. Kansas City, Los Angeles, Dallas, all those real big cities are dropping like flies." Her dad explained. "It is in order to cause less panic. Keep people in one place and keep them safe." 

"To keep them out of the government's way." Harloh breathed out. This wasn't going to be good. The government already held too much knowledge over them. 

Her dad smiled at her. He was proud, grinning like she had finally caught on. And she had, but not to the things he wanted her to. "Exactly. Shutting down will prevent mass panic." 

"How? People will feel trapped!" 

"It isn't an official lockdown. They are just making it more strict if people want to leave. Hospitals are locked down, though." Her mom added. "It is to keep us safe, don't worry." 

Easier said than done. Harloh rubbed her temples. "So... we don't know about how it is spread or what caused it or anything?" 

"No. We just know that there is the epidemic of these things attacking and that the government is working to fix it." Her mom rubbed her arms. "I am gonna go make us some breakfast. Watching all this T.V. isn't going to help anything." 

The wait for the ten o'clock news to begin was long. Blake was still asleep and the house was silent. Every few minutes her father would drink his coffee, his eyes locked on the screen. Harloh squirmed where she was. Nothing was adding up and things were only getting worse. Lock downs would lead to more panic. Trapping scared people makes them turn violent. Chaos would ensue. Harloh wished there was a plan, but no one knew what was going on. The United States was unprepared, something that hadn't happened in years. 

Her mother made bacon and eggs. Harloh fought the urge to tell her to cook less. With them making traveling harder, getting supplies would be almost impossible. The closest store was over a half an hour away. There were small, family owned stores nearby, but those people would use the supplies they owned first. Friendships stop mattering when someone's family is at risk. Harloh needed to make a plan. Her family did. Or else things would fall apart around them while they were forced to hide in their house and starve. Harloh stood up, walking into the kitchen and sitting down on the counter. 

"You need to stop worrying." Her mother said without looking up. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun. "We will keep you safe, okay? Your dad has guns-" 

"Guns won't help when we are starving, mom. We need to get supplies today." 

Her mother gasped. "With those things outside? No. We are safe in here until further notice." 

What if further notice never came? "You don't get it, mom. We can defend ourselves here but we will run out of food. We need canned goods." 

"Then go to the store with Blake when he wakes up. Take your dads truck." 

"Mom-" 

"He can get Blake a gun." 

Harloh's father taught Blake how to shoot at a young age. He taught both of them. Said that the world would only get meaner and the nice ones would be the first to die. Not that Blake was nice. Harloh never found strength in holding a gun. The hunk of metal didn't define her strength. Her father had always been the shoot first and ask later type. A character trait that made her feel extremely uneasy. 

"Leave early and come back as soon as you can." Her mother said. "Grab meats and produce and some canned goods." 

"Blake needs to go home." Harloh said. "His brothers-" 

"Shit..." It felt like her mother sometimes forgot Blake wasn't her child. Her mother almost loved him more than she loved her, Blake didn't disagree or argue or question like Harloh did. Whenever they spoke it was a debate. Harloh was not the type to be silent. "We can send your dad-" 

"You wanna keep him here?" Harloh tried to hide the anger in her voice. "He has a family to be with. Things are going down, bad things, mom. We need to be closer now than ever. We can't have extra people here, people with other priorities." 

"He loves you." 

"He has a family, mom. A blood related family. His brothers need him." 

The look on her mother's face said it all. We need him. Her mother did not reply. "Tell them breakfast is ready." 

Arguing was no longer worth it. She was not going to win. She never did. 

The living room was still. Blake and her father sat in front of the television, their eyes locked in the screen. The same violent videos filled the newsfeed, horrified news reporters explaining the story. Harloh balled her hands into fists, questions pushing and pulling at her insides. 

"The government has to do something." Blake said. "Make a report or a statement or something." 

Her father chuckled and shook his head. "One thing that this will teach you is that... the government doesn't have to do anything for us." 

"They should protect us." Harloh dug her nails into her hands. "We trust them to help us. The point of a government is we give them support and they continue to take care of us and protect us." 

"Yeah..." Her father sipped his coffee. "Should." 

"What happened to you being all pro-government?" Harloh asked. Her mother scolded her from the kitchen. 

"Still am." Her father stood up and kissed the top of her head. "Things will end okay. They will handle it. And however they do it is for the best-" 

"For the best for them or for us, dad?" 

He chuckled, his back facing her as he disappeared into the kitchen. "You have got so much to learn." 

Harloh sat through breakfast silently, picking at her food with her head down. A little over twelve hours ago the world began to end and no one seemed afraid. She struggled to understand her father's blind faith in the government. They had yet to do something to protect them or even address the issue. Finally, Harloh gave into the hunger in the pit of her stomach and began to eat, her eyes focused on the plate. 

"I made you a list." Her mother's smile was tight. It seemed painful. She gripped a paper in her hand. "No getting side tracked. You will be in and out of the general store and come right back here." 

Her father didn't seem bothered. He was too busy eating his bacon and flipping through the newspaper. The one they had gotten the day before. 

Blake took the paper and smiled at her. "Of course." 

Harloh rolled her eyes. Kiss ass. "Where's dad's gun?" 

"I got one in my car." Blake smiled up at her as if his weapon was a trophy. "Don't worry about all of that. I can protect you." 

Harloh snarled. "Protect yourself." She stood up, the backs of her legs pushing her chair back. She walked to her room, tugging her clothes on as quickly as she could. 

Harloh picked up her phone and looked at her messages. Nothing. Her sister could still be on her way and just never mentioned it. Still, she texted her "hope ur safe" and shut her phone off, slipping it into her back pocket. She looked out her back window. Like usual, her neighbors were in the backyard, tending to their plants. She wondered if they had seen the news. An innocent old man and woman had to have, but they did not deviate from their schedule. Harloh pulled her hair back and wrapped a hair tie around it, turning away from the window. As fast as the world had stopped it seemingly started again. 

Harloh pulled her phone out gain, impatiently checking to see if her sister had replied. Nothing. She tapped on Twitter and checked the trending page. In blue, bright letters the hashtag "DOA" was trending. The body on the news last night was said to be DOA. But it was moving. Surviving gunshots and ignoring all the orders the police had given. There was something animalistic about the body. 

She tapped on the hashtag and leaned against the frame of her bed. 

"When will the police say something about the #DOA video????" 

"My friends family is buying plane tickets to leave the country and head to England over this whole #DOA thing." 

"That's a straightup Zombie yall, ain't nothing else need to be said #DOA" 

"My brother says the video is a clip from a short film. You guys have to calm down #DOA" 

"Probably a crackhead. They've eaten faces and gunshots don't stop them. #DOA is nothing" 

Harloh scrolled down the page of tweets, her eyes scanning over them. Several were afraid like her. They planned to flee or fight. Others thought it was a hoax. 

"You guys need to realize "hacked" and "found" footage come out as fact almost 99% of the time. Being scared is what they want. #DOA" 

"I could easily recreate that video with a few black cars, flashing lights, editing, and makeup. Chill lmao #DOA" 

Some were more frightful than others, rushing to fill the missing pieces with conspiracies of the government planning this or the disease that infected the man being a bomb dropped on America by Russia or any other country that didn't always agree with the United States. 

"The #DOA disease is a genetically engineered disease made by our enemies and dropped on us in order to wipe us out" 

"Notice how no one has released a statement on #DOA. This was planned. We are at their mercy." 

Harloh stopped on one tweet, frowning. The icon was pitch black and when she tapped on the profile there was one photo and one video. The video of the man attacking the police and eating someone who was already dead. Eating. Harloh took a deep breath and closed her eyes. This did not happen. People did not come back to life and attack. This couldn't be real. It was a hoax, like the Bigfoot evidence and faked dinosaur fossils. 

Harloh looked at the few tweets made by the account. 

"My father works for the police. He works for these people. He told me this happened. Now I will tell you." 

Beneath th tweet was the video and thousands of comments. 

"I did not hack. I simply used my father's resources to get the news out. The people need to know these are not animal attacks." 

Harloh raised her hand to her mouth, covering it. 

"When I found this video, I found several more. Cops being killed. Tore up. I will post them. It is only a matter of time before they silence me." 

A knock on her door caused Harloh to jump. Quickly, she shut off her phone and slipped it into her pocket. She pulled open the door to be met by Blake. He looked down at her, fully dressed in his jeans, shirt, and jacket from the night before. His tennis shoes were replaced by her fathers lace up, leather boots. One of her father's guns was tucked into the waistband of his jeans. Her father must have talked him into taking two. He was clean shaven, stubble from the night before missing. How long had she been reading? His hair was combed back and his body blocked the door.

"Carry the gun like a normal person-" She reached out to take it from him, only to have him jerk away from her. 

"I got it. Leave a man to do this stuff." Blake pulled her in and kissed her forehead softly. "You just focus on getting the stuff we need."

"I'm not helpless." Harloh mumbled, pushing past him. "And I can do that shit just as well as you can." 

"Calm down." Blake put his hand on the small of her back. "Are you ready to go?" 

Harloh stepped away from him, nodding. "Yeah. Let's go." She grabbed a jacket and walked down the stairs of her house. Her parents stood at the bottom of it. Her father had a protective arm around her mother, her mother happily tucked beneath his arm. 

"We love you." She wrapped her arms around Harloh and Blake, kissing each of their cheeks. "We love you a lot. Be safe. Call us if you need anything." 

"You got an hour. If you aren't back by then I will come out and find you." He patted Blake's back and kissed Harloh's forehead. "Love you. Shoot first. Ask questions later. Those sick things-" He pressed his finger to Blake's chest. "They look like us." 

"Dad-" 

Blake nodded proudly. "Yes, sir."

"We have to survive, son. And kindness don't keep you alive no more."

Harloh felt sick. Shoot first and ask later? These were their friends, their family. The people in town had seen her grow up. She went to school with them. Went to parties for their kids. Turning on them so fast seemed wrong. There was no proof they had even been touched by the sickness. This was not self preservation. It was murder.

"Here is the list." Harloh's mother smiled at her and pressed the paper to her hand. "Be safe. And go fast. Don't sit around and talk to anyone."

"The owners are our friends-"

"But for now, our only friends are each other. Now go." Her mother nudged her towards the car. 

"Blake!" Her father called. When he turned around, her father tossed Blake a set of keys. "Take my truck. It's big. And can handle anything."

"No one will be violent." Her mother said. "We are not animals." 

"No, honey." Her father touched her mother gently. "We are." 

Blake and Harloh made their way towards her father's truck, Blake unlocking it with the small button on the key. Harloh yanked the door and climbed inside, sinking back against the seat. She tugged her seatbelt over her torso and buckled it. Blake climbed in and placed the gun between them, slipping the key in and turning it. The car roared and her parents waved to them. Blake reached up and pushed the button to open the garage, putting the car into reverse as the garage doors raised. Slowly, he backed out of the driveway and sunlight wrapped around them.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment!! Tell me how you feel!! Mad? Sad? Excited?


End file.
